Male tiger injured in AP, seeks refuge in TS Amrabad Reserve
A male tiger, just about past its prime, and likely driven out of its territory in the Nagarjunasagar Tiger Reserve (NSTR) in Andhra Pradesh by a younger and fitter male, has sought refuge in Telangana’s Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR). And for the past few days, teams of wildlife officials from the two states have been keeping a close watch on the tiger as part of their attempts to trap it to examine a wound under its eye, treat it, and then release the tiger back in the forest.
When the tiger was first noticed by people from Vatvarlapally village in the heart of the ATR, it was noticed that its movements were sluggish. It was first spotted near Rasamola Bavi, a Nizam era step well right next to the road that runs between Mannanur village and Srisailam dam through ATR.
Closer observations by the forest officials revealed that the tiger, a male aged around 11 or 12 years, had a blackened wound under its right eye, and officials believe that the wound has debilitated the tiger. “This was a dominant male in the Naglooty range of NSTR and possible was driven out by a younger fitter male and suffered the wound in the fight for the territory,” an official told Deccan Chronicle.
The male tiger which first lived in Amrabad tiger reserve, is believed to have crossed over to NSTR on the Andhra Pradesh side where it lived for the past five years before returning to the forest area - after losing the territorial battle - it was possibly familiar with on the Telangana side of River Krishna, which forms a boundary between the two tiger reserves.
The establishment of undisturbed corridors on Krishna by the two tiger reserves this year by officials of the two tiger reserves on either side of the river in the two states, is believed to have helped in the injured tiger making its way back into Telangana.
Officials said that a team of wildlife veterinarians and officials from AP and Telangana are monitoring the tiger and some trap cages have been set up in the area where it is now staying in, to catch it. “It is a joint operation as we all want the tiger to get better and survive. Typically, tigers in the wild live up to 14 or 15 years and we want to give it that chance to do so,” an official explained.
Once it is trapped, or if need by tranquilized, and its wound examined, the vets will determine whether field level treatment - cleaning of the wound, and giving it some antibiotics – followed by its release, of if it needs more intensive care, in which case, it will be brought to the Nehru Zoological Park for treatment. “The wound is in such a spot that the tiger cannot lick it. Normally, when tigers lick their wounds, they heal as their saliva has strong antiseptic qualities. This is why it needs to be caught so it can be treated,” the official said.